German iPhone ruling delayed

The court decision as to the legality of offering the iPhone exclusively through the T-Mobile network has been delayed by 24-hours, German court reveals this morning.

By
Jonny Evans
| 03 Dec 07

The German courts have delayed their ruling on the legality of offering the iPhone exclusively through one mobile network.

The ruling from the Hamburg District Court had been scheduled for announcement today, but the final decision has now been delayed until tomorrow, news emerged this morning.

Vodafone earlier this month filed an injunction arguing that limiting the iPhone to the T-Mobile network exclusively broke German competition laws. An initial decision by the court forced Apple's mobile partner to offer an unlocked version of the iPhone for sale in the country.

The unlocked iPhone costs a hefty €999, twice the cost of an iPhone with a T-Mobile contract. While certain features - such as Visual Voicemail - won't work on other networks (as they lack the supporting infrastructure), customers who buy an unlocked iPhone to gain the flexibility of using the device on a network and tariff more suitable to their needs.

The device launched in Germany on 9 November, the same day as the product went on sale in the UK. An unlocked version of the device is also available for sale in France, in compliance with local law.

Belgium, Finland and Italy also restrict carriers from offering exclusive, or even favoured, access to a particular device.